USB

Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard that establishes specifications for cables,

connectors and protocols for connection, communication and power supply (interfacing)
between computers, peripherals and other computers.[2] A broad variety of USB
hardware exists, including 14 different connector types, of which USB-C is the most recent.
First released in 1996, the USB standards are maintained by the USB Implementers
Forum (USB-IF). The four generations of USB are: USB 1.x, USB 2.0, USB 3.x, and USB4.
[3
The Universal Serial Bus was developed to simplify and improve the interface between
personal computers and peripheral devices, such as cell phones, computer accessories, and
monitors, when compared with previously existing standard or ad hoc proprietary interfaces.
[4]
From the computer user's perspective, the USB interface improves ease of use in several
ways:

 The USB interface is self-configuring, eliminating the need for the user to adjust the
device's settings for speed or data format, or configure interrupts, input/output addresses,
or direct memory access channels.[5]
 USB connectors are standardized at the host, so any peripheral can use most available
receptacles.
 USB takes full advantage of the additional processing power that can be economically put
into peripheral devices so that they can manage themselves. As such, USB devices often
do not have user-adjustable interface settings.
 The USB interface is hot-swappable (devices can be exchanged without rebooting the host
computer).
 Small devices can be powered directly from the USB interface, eliminating the need for
additional power supply cables.
 Because use of the USB logo is only permitted after compliance testing, the user can have
confidence that a USB device will work as expected without extensive interaction with
settings and configuration.
 The USB interface defines protocols for recovery from common errors, improving
reliability over previous interfaces.[4]
 Installing a device that relies on the USB standard requires minimal operator action.
When a user plugs a device into a port on a running computer, it either entirely
automatically configures using existing device drivers, or the system prompts the user to
locate a driver, which it then installs and configures automatically.
The USB standard also provides multiple benefits for hardware manufacturers and software
developers, specifically in the relative ease of implementation:

 The USB standard eliminates the requirement to develop proprietary interfaces to new
peripherals.
 The wide range of transfer speeds available from a USB interface suits devices ranging
from keyboards and mice up to streaming video interfaces.
 A USB interface can be designed to provide the best available latency for time-critical
functions or can be set up to do background transfers of bulk data with little impact on
system resources.
 The USB interface is generalized with no signal lines dedicated to only one function of
one device.[4]
Limitations[edit]
As with all standards, USB possesses multiple limitations to its design:
 USB cables are limited in length, as the standard was intended for peripherals on the same
table-top, not between rooms or buildings. However, a USB port can be connected to
a gateway that accesses distant devices.
 USB data transfer rates are slower than those of other interconnects such as 100 Gigabit
Ethernet.
 USB has a strict tree network topology and master/slave protocol for addressing
peripheral devices; those devices cannot interact with one another except via the host, and
two hosts cannot communicate over their USB ports directly. Some extension to this
limitation is possible through USB On-The-Go in, Dual-Role-Devices[6] and protocol
bridge.
 A host cannot broadcast signals to all peripherals at once—each must be addressed
individually.
 While converters exist between certain legacy interfaces and USB, they may not provide a
full implementation of the legacy hardware. For example, a USB-to-parallel-port
converter may work well with a printer, but not with a scanner that requires bidirectional
use of the data pins.
For a product developer, using USB requires the implementation of a complex protocol and
implies an "intelligent" controller in the peripheral device. Developers of USB devices
intended for public sale generally must obtain a USB ID, which requires that they pay a fee to
the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF). Developers of products that use the USB
specification must sign an agreement with the USB-IF. Use of the USB logos on the product
requires annual fees and membership in the organization.[4]